Do you know your child's school?

1. Education is a life long process.

2. All children can learn the prescribed
curriculum if you vary the time.

3. Human services are important.

4. All people teach and are capable of learning.

5. Wisdom and discernment are essential.

6. We learn best that which we teach.

7. Catch kids being good.

8. All kids have dignity and worth.

9. Behavior is maintained by its consequences.

10. People are important

According to Gene Bedley, author of How Do You Recognize a Good School When You Walk Into One says that the list above is representative of philosophical statements that guide good schools. The beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. It is important for informed parents to be aware of the direction their child’s school is going and how they can participate in making the school better.

Consider the following suggestions:

First, learn about the school’s vision, mission and objectives. The Orange County Public Schools has the following vision statement:

Vision: To ensure every student has a
promising and successful future

Mission: With the support of families and the community, we
create enriching and diverse pathways that lead our students to success

Objectives:

· High Expectations for Student Learning

· Student Social and Emotional Well-Being

· Dedicated and High-Quality Team

· Positive Climate and Safe Environment

· Efficient Operations

· Engaged and Invested Community

This statement emphasizes the value of working with parents to support high quality education and to make changes when necessary. Parents can learn more about their child’s specific school by reviewing the following website: https://www.ocps.net/schools. This site provides factual information about each school in the county, school news and a calendar of upcoming meetings.

Second, remember that academic achievements drops as parent involvement decreases. Roberta Kirshbaum, author of Parent Power concluded: “A child begins kindergarten. There is daily contact with the teacher. Impromptu conversations take place as the parent shuttles the child back and forth. Regularly scheduled conferences occur at least twice a year. The parent is encouraged to spend time in the classroom, observing, or even participating in cooking projects or short expeditions.

Enthusiasm and interest run high as the parent eagerly asks about the child’s day and share in the wonderment of learning. Eventually- usually by middle school- parents are no longer welcome in the child’s world. Even the best intentioned parent can wake up with a barely recognizable child, a young person who goes to a school that is so unfamiliar to the parent, it might as well be another planet. Unfortunately, as parents struggle to keep up with their own demanding, hectic schedules, fewer and fewer of them feel they have enough time for their families at all, let alone to get involved in their child’s education. Such benign neglect is a costly mistake. Academic achievement plummets as parental involvement decreases.”

Third, how important is parent involvement in schools? Recent research indicates that there is a direct correlation between parent involvement and a child's success in school. Roberta Kirshbaum, author of Parent Power observed: “Think of school as a puzzle. Parents and teachers possess different pieces of the puzzle. One piece is that kids do better when they know that their parents care about their school.”